Gil Peñalosa / 8 80 Cities

Gui Auditorium / Knowlton Hall

April 6, 2016 - 5:30pm

Gil Peñalosa will present a lecture titled "The 8 80 City: vibrant cities, healthy communities, happier people" in Knowlton Hall’s Gui Auditorium at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6, 2016. The talk is free and open to the public.

Peñalosa is the executive director of the nonprofit Walk and Bike for Life, a senior consultant for the renowned Danish firm Gehl Architects and is director of Healthy Places Initiatives for the New York-based Project for Public Spaces. He serves on the boards of directors of the American Trails Organization, the City Parks Alliance, and the International Sport and Culture Association as well as on the advisory boards of America Walks and WalkON.

He is the founder and chair of Toronto-based non-profit 8 80 Cities, which advocates for urban biking, walking, parks, trails and public spaces. He sees the walkability of a city as intimately tied to public health, sustainability, economic development, quality of life and just about every other measure of urban vitality.

Peñalosa spearheaded the effort to redevelop and build over 200 parks in Bogotá. Additionally, he instituted a policy that closes more than 70 miles of city roads, the Ciclovía, each Sunday where over 2 million people come out to walk, run, skate and bike.

About "8 80 City"

How can we create vibrant and healthy cities for everyone, regardless of age or social status? What is the role of the streets - the largest public space in any city? How can parks improve the quality of life that attracts and retains people to their communities? Gil answers these questions while also drawing upon his experience working with over 200 cities on implementing projects that focus on improving walking, bicycling, public transit as well as parks and public spaces.